I like to believe I am a master architect, a seasoned builder,
Erecting intricate structures, not of wood, stone or steel, but of self.
I know I am not alone in my field, but must confess as a householder:
There is a fear that cripples at the knees,
Being unloved in showing the real me.
So, I...
Formulate.
Fabricate.
Alternate.
Duplicate anything that appears worthy,
Worthy...
of applause,
of oohs and awes,
of being loved...
So, I renovate this broken house I call my life,
To exhibit perfection without strife,
Cover these blemished lead stained halls,
Conceal these lies in a room hidden with false walls,
Stacked to the ceiling, espestice and all.
So, I paint this vinyl siding with a fresh coat of vanity,
Shroud the rot in the roof with shallow shingles, like the rest of humanity,
Burn pictures not so flattering,
Remove facebook comments not so becoming,
Fabricate status updates that bolster my image, a wise fool so cunning.
But, I begin to fear,
because they are getting too near.
What will happen when I remove my mask?
Will they gasp, this meeting being our last?
What will happen when they see me through these fabric lies threadbare?
Will they invite my love or look elsewhere?
So, I submit my image to the Architect of fame,
Too long I tarnished, defaced and profaned His name.
Tear this decrepit house to the ground, start from inside!
What this heart needs is not a renovation,
It needs a demolition!
An abolition!
I suffocate in this quarantined house, a lonely life that is merely a spoof,
Swing a wrecking-ball through this rotten roof,
Rip out these paper thin walls,
Scrape the lead paint off these callous halls,
Tailor me after the image of the One,
The God who made me through His Son.
Christ is my template,
my prototype,
my archetype,
my antecedent,
my foundation on whom these new walls are resurrected...
So, Christ break down this animated undead heart and rebuild it in three days,
Make this your home, every room softly filled with your love full ablaze,
Set its frame firmly on the cornerstone of Truth void of lies,
Be authentic without crossed fingers before the world's eyes.
No longer do I fear rejection,
For the Father's love is the perfect protection.
I used to believe I was a master architect, a seasoned builder,
But in my home Christ is the householder.
We Bury Our Treasures
“Store up for yourself treasures in heaven...” How many times do I hear these lines quoted by pastors and read in the Scriptures, yet my heart does not resonate with the weight of its truth? What does it mean for me to store up treasures in heaven and what does that even look like? I can understand how material things are temporary, how power is relinquished at death, and that vitality has a shelf life, but how do I prepare for a world unseen or a hope unrealized? The words of Christ imply that we are active in shaping what blessings we will enjoy when our bodies breathe their last breath of life in this dying world. Choices are not arbitrary, but have a ripple effect upon eternity’s shore. How I choose to live my life now will shape my experience of heaven, the new earth.
When you are confronted with the dreadful reality of death you cannot help but evaluate every aspect of your life, the choices you made, past mistakes, where you dedicated your time, the people you love. Mortality’s hands force our eyes to turn and focus on how we spent our love over time. We actively shape our experience of heaven, life after death, by our love. Where you invest your love is where you invest your life. The things I most desperately desire to be waiting for me in heaven are the things I dearly love most, people. Christ’s promise of a new heaven and new earth is not about receiving a proverbial crown or mansion with many rooms, but a promise of reunion. We are intricately woven together for relationship, to receive and foster love in others. The image of God imprinted on our very being is not merely a functional will, moral fiber or reason, but the ability to enter into a loving relationship with our creator and each other. Sin is a wedge that divides us from the source of true, unquenchable love, while plunging the world into a cycle of soul-dividing death. Because of sin, our love is squandered on lifeless trash, countless wives are malnourished, starving for the love of their husbands, children are sexually abused by those they trust and the heart of the consumer is poisoned green with greed.
The blessing of heaven, eternal life, is not about living forever, but a quality of life. Eternal life is knowing Christ, who is the perfect love our souls yearn to know. Heaven is where tears go to die as we are united with our loved ones and embraced by the pierced hands of Christ who reconciles us to the Father. It is the love of Christ that fills our lungs with the breath of hope, being united once again with God and those we love. Now, the blessings we store up in heaven are each other. Christ infuses his love into ever fiber of our being, the marrow of our bones, in order to resuscitate life and hope in others. We participate with Christ in reconciling hurting people to a loving God. I want to love others so they can sample the love of Christ and embrace the same promise of reunion. I want to walk next to the feet Jesus with my brothers and sisters, my friends and coworkers, family and acquaintances. I want hold the warm hands of my grandfather and grandmother whom death callously stole from me. We are not designed to die or to witness the casualties of our sin. What a cruel fate it is to bury the treasures you love. The hope of Christ, the gift of heaven, is reclaiming what is lost. We embody the love that saves by how we live and must extend it others. The only thing you can bring to heaven is people.
You follow the love of your heart when you die. We need to remember why we serve in ministry, why we should be missional, why we should proclaim the Gospel: To love people as God loves them. People come before jobs, people come before good grades, people come before a career, people come before hobbies, and people come before wants because Christ surrendered all to redeem all.
Who will you bring to walk on eternity’s shore?
“Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
When you are confronted with the dreadful reality of death you cannot help but evaluate every aspect of your life, the choices you made, past mistakes, where you dedicated your time, the people you love. Mortality’s hands force our eyes to turn and focus on how we spent our love over time. We actively shape our experience of heaven, life after death, by our love. Where you invest your love is where you invest your life. The things I most desperately desire to be waiting for me in heaven are the things I dearly love most, people. Christ’s promise of a new heaven and new earth is not about receiving a proverbial crown or mansion with many rooms, but a promise of reunion. We are intricately woven together for relationship, to receive and foster love in others. The image of God imprinted on our very being is not merely a functional will, moral fiber or reason, but the ability to enter into a loving relationship with our creator and each other. Sin is a wedge that divides us from the source of true, unquenchable love, while plunging the world into a cycle of soul-dividing death. Because of sin, our love is squandered on lifeless trash, countless wives are malnourished, starving for the love of their husbands, children are sexually abused by those they trust and the heart of the consumer is poisoned green with greed.
The blessing of heaven, eternal life, is not about living forever, but a quality of life. Eternal life is knowing Christ, who is the perfect love our souls yearn to know. Heaven is where tears go to die as we are united with our loved ones and embraced by the pierced hands of Christ who reconciles us to the Father. It is the love of Christ that fills our lungs with the breath of hope, being united once again with God and those we love. Now, the blessings we store up in heaven are each other. Christ infuses his love into ever fiber of our being, the marrow of our bones, in order to resuscitate life and hope in others. We participate with Christ in reconciling hurting people to a loving God. I want to love others so they can sample the love of Christ and embrace the same promise of reunion. I want to walk next to the feet Jesus with my brothers and sisters, my friends and coworkers, family and acquaintances. I want hold the warm hands of my grandfather and grandmother whom death callously stole from me. We are not designed to die or to witness the casualties of our sin. What a cruel fate it is to bury the treasures you love. The hope of Christ, the gift of heaven, is reclaiming what is lost. We embody the love that saves by how we live and must extend it others. The only thing you can bring to heaven is people.
You follow the love of your heart when you die. We need to remember why we serve in ministry, why we should be missional, why we should proclaim the Gospel: To love people as God loves them. People come before jobs, people come before good grades, people come before a career, people come before hobbies, and people come before wants because Christ surrendered all to redeem all.
Who will you bring to walk on eternity’s shore?
“Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
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